Joseph Beyrle
United States Army soldier / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joseph R. Beyrle (pron. BYE-er-lee)(Russian: Джозеф Вильямович Байерли; romanized: Dzhozef Vilyamovich Bayyerli; August 25, 1923 – December 12, 2004) is the only known American soldier to have served in combat with both the United States Army and the Soviet Red Army in World War II. He took part in Mission Albany, the airborne landings of the 101st Airborne Division on June 5–6, 1944, as a member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was captured by the Germans and sent east as a prisoner of war.
Joseph Beyrle | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Jumpin' Joe" |
Born | (1923-08-25)August 25, 1923 Muskegon, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | December 12, 2004(2004-12-12) (aged 81) Toccoa, Georgia, U.S. |
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army Red Army |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Rank | Staff Sergeant |
Unit | 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division 1st Battalion, 1st Guards Tank Brigade, Red Army |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | |
Spouse(s) | JoAnne Hollowell |
Children | 3 including John |
After several unsuccessful attempts, Beyrle escaped from the German Stalag III-C in January 1945 and joined a Soviet tank battalion under the command of Aleksandra Samusenko.[1] Wounded, he was evacuated and eventually made his way to the United States in April 1945. Beyrle died in 2004 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His son John Beyrle later became United States Ambassador to Russia.